Of Books and Devils
by LinnieDragn
Summary: Lucy is acting very strange as she, Natsu and Happy make their way back from a mission... Why is she so pale? Why is her breathe so laboured? That's when Natsu finally notices something red seeping from under her coat... NALU One-Shots. I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL. Prompts welcome. GRUVIA CHAPTERS ALSO.
1. Gruvia - Argument

_**Story Line:**_ _Juvia got Gray a gift that she thought would cheer him up from his constant bad mood. Gray very bluntly rejects it and Juvia, sheepishly, tries to make him accept. Gray snaps at her like he has never done before and Juvia leaves the guild in pieces. Can Gray fix this or has he lost the one person he never thought he would lose?_

* * *

"Come on Juvia, you can do this," Juvia whispered to herself as she peered around the guilds doors. Her eyes were firmly on the dark haired ice mage whom seemed to be sat all alone at the bar, his brow furrowed more than usual and it was pretty obvious he was not in the best of moods. Juvia's chest tightened as she thought that maybe her gift would lighten his spirits. The thought that it might made her more confident and she finally entered the guild to make her way over to the ice mage.

Gray saw her coming halfway and didn't even try to mask his sigh and eye roll as he turned pointedly away. Juvia's stride faltered somewhat at that, her confidence falling though she more hesitantly made her way over to him.

"Hello Gray-sama," she said as she finally stood beside him. Gray didn't even look at her.

"Yeah, hey," was all he offered before lifting his cup to his lips, looking in the opposite direction. Juvia gulped before lifting up the small box she'd wrapped, encasing the gift she had fashioned for him with Gajeel's help.

"J-Juvia made you another present," she told him, pointing the box to him. Gray shook his head before she had even finished talking.

"I don't want it," was all he said before he took another swig of his drink, annoyance rapidly building in his stomach.

"But, she made it just for you," she pressed, nudging the box to his arm and making Gray's irritation only grow.

"I said I don't want it," he said again through clenched teeth, furiously trying to bite his tongue to stifle any words he might regret.

"But, Gray-sama," she continued, though Gray did not notice her voice grow more timid with every rejection. Juvia wasn't normally like it. "She stayed up all night to try and fashion it for you. Just have a loo-"

"No!" Gray suddenly roared, standing to whack the box from her hands so it hit the wall at her side, Juvia just gasped and fell a step back, cradling her hand to her chest. Gray glared at her furiously.

"I said, no." he growled, taking a threatening step towards the water mage, who fell another step back as he did. The rest of the guild watched with wide eyes, almost not believing what was happening.

"Are you really so fucking _naive_ that you cannot understand I do not want to talk to you? When do I ever seem eager to engage in conversation with you, Juvia? It's not like I don't make it clear, right? I _do not want_ to talk to you." Gray hissed at her, though in the back of his mind he knew that is was a lie. He liked the attention the small water mage gave to him and relished in it, it made his feelings grow more and more for her every day. But this day he could not tolerate anyone, and Juvia was just such an easy victim for his anger right now all logic left his mind and all he could think about were the words that would crush the woman before him. He narrowed his eyes before taking another step towards her.

"So listen to me now, because I'm only going to say this once," he bent down so he was at eye level with her, not noticing the glistening tears in her ocean blue eyes that had yet to fall. "I do not love you. I will _never_ love you. So give it up? 'Cause all you're doing is pissing _me,_ and everyone else off."

Juvia gulped audibly before nodding her head. "Ju - Juvia understands." She choked out before blinking slowly and turning on her heels without another glance at Gray as she made her way to the guild doors.

"Juvia…" Erza muttered as she passed, along with Lucy, who reached out a hand to grab her arm. But she just pulled her arm out of her grasp and offered them a weak smile.

"Juvia…" she started, her voice cracking and Gray watched her through narrowed eyes. "Juv- I am fine." Even Gray's eyes widened as she spoke in first person. Juvia never…. His eyes widened even more so in absolute horror. What had he just done? Juvia went on. "I - I just have somewhere else I need to be. If you'll excuse me."

Without another word, she left the guild, closing the door quietly behind her. All eyes turned to Gray and he hid his panic with a glare as he turned on his heels to sit back down at the bar.

"Gray." Erza said sharply, standing up with a firm gaze. Gray shook his head.

"Not now, Erza." He said tiredly, she marched over to him before grabbing the back of his jacket and throwing him at the wall. He grunted as the hard wood hit his back, releasing a small cough as he slid down the wall. Everyone went silent once more as their eyes were on Gray and Erza, Erza's blazing with fury.

"Listen up, Gray," she snarled. "You're lucky Gajeel isn't here and you've got me telling you this, since I'll be using words and not my fists. Now, you will _never_ find a girl who loves you as much as that one just then does. And regardless of what you say, you love her to." Erza's eyes narrowed more so as Gray turned his gaze away.

"Now, I don't know why you're so eager to make it seem like you don't, and even going to the point of making the woman you love cry to convince her that you don't return her feelings," she stepped forwards before crouching down to pull his collar so that his eyes met hers.

"But you better fix this," she growled furiously. "Because you are _not_ gonna leave her out there, crying in the rain just because you're too pathetic to admit your feelings to anyone. Including yourself." She gave him once last disgusted look before pushing him back to the wall roughly and standing, making her way back to her seat.

Gray grumbled and cast his eyes down, drawing a hand up to rub at his chest before his eyes caught something at his side. He pulled up the box he had hit out of Juvia's hands and arched a brow, pulling the lid off to eye it's contents and his heart just about stopped.

It was a sliver chain necklace, except the charm was more or less an exact replica of what one of Gray's fathers earrings used to look like. The small silver cross sent a wave of nostalgia through Gray as if it was Silver's earring itself. He pulled the necklace from its case and grasped it in his fist before looking to the window. He felt guilt and panic stab right in his gut as he saw raindrops hit the window and that was all it took to send him running from the guild.

* * *

It wasn't too hard to find where the water mage had ran off to. She was sat beside the lake, completely drenched and her face was buried in her hands and he could clearly see her shoulders shake with sobs. He released a small, guilty sound as he rest a hand on her shoulder.

"C'mon, get up," he muttered and her head snapped up to look at him. She looked surprised before she rapidly jumped to her feet and pushed her damp, blue strands from her face as her eyes found the necklace that rested in the hollow of his throat.

"T-the necklace," she whispered and her eyes drew back up to his own that were narrowed with pain.

"Juvia," he stared, his voice low. "I – I cannot tell you how sorry I am. I was way – _way_ – out of line."

Juvia just shook her head before laughing dryly, wrapping her arms around her torso as she looked away. "It doesn't matter, you were right. Juvia needs to stop being naive and just get over it. She doesn't want to _piss Gray-sama off_ anymore."

Gray's eyes widened and he stepped forwards to clutch her shoulders. "No! No, Juvia, I didn't mean it. Not one word I said was true so don't you believe that for a second, alright? I lied. Every word of it was a lie."

Juvia's eyes narrowed in confusion and shock as she looked up at the man she loved. "T-then, why - ?"

"I was... I'm scared, Juvia." He admitted feebly, his grip loosening. "I'm absolutely terrified."

Juvia's tilted her head in confusion, drawing a hand up to rest it to his cheek. "Gray-sama," she whispered and he smiled and leaned into her touch, drawing up his own hand to overlap hers.

"It's complicated," he told her. "But you need to know. Every woman – every person – I have ever loved has died. Not one has been spared. If I say those damned words to _anyone_ , it's like, a certainty that I will lose them. So, the fact that I… that I," he shook his head furiously before stepping forwards to press his forehead to hers, squeezing his eyes shut.

"So that fact that I love you," he muttered, feeling a weight push off of his chest as he did. "Scares me. It absolutely terrifies me. But I can't keep on doing this, Juvia. Pretending that I don't love you because I think some fucking curse will sweep in and take you away. I'm too selfish, and I won't let you die. I _won't._ I - I'll protect you. I swear, I will."

Juvia was speechless, she released a small, heart-broken sound before closing the gap between them, rain falling harder as she poured her fury, love and hope into that kiss. Gray kissed her back just a vigorously, his hand cupping her cheek while the other grasped her small waist as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss.

Their lips moved together slowly for a few moments before the rain finally ceased and they drew apart, Juvia peeking up through her lashes to eye Gray's expression. He looked down on her in wonder and worry, and she shook her head before hugging him.

"Juvia is not going anywhere," she whispered and Gray chuckled before returning the hug.

"Good," he muttered. "Because you're all mine now."


	2. Gruvia - Library

"Fucking, ass licking, annoying, mother-fucking, knob-faced, bulldog, frog, creatu-"

"Juvia!" Levy exclaimed, making Juvia halt in her mumblings to look over to her fellow blunette with narrowed eyes.

"… I'm in a bad mood," Juvia drawled after a few moments of eye contact, making Levy sigh before pushing up her glasses.

"You don't say..." she grumbled before pointing to the book shelf Juvia was currently stacking. "Anyways, you've stacked them wrong. They meant to be in order of genre, not Author."

Juvia looked back to the book case before sighing heavily, hanging her head. "You're fucking kidding me, right? You want me to read the back of the fucking book so I know where to put it? You did this on purpose."

Levy chuckled mercilessly. "Hey, I'm trying to make you read for once. And it was you who wanted the job."

"No, I _needed_ the stupid job. I did not _want_ it." Juvia hissed before pulling the books from the shelves again. "I'm running low on the cash my folks left me when they kicked the bucket. And I need to pay for classes and-"

"Hey, Juv, I know," Levy stopped her, holding up her hand. "C'mon, you don't need to explain yourself."

Juvia just groaned, hanging her head back. "Levy, let me go home." She whined. Levy smirked again.

"Nope," she replied, popping her lip on the P. "I need to determine whether you can handle working here. Oh, and you're going to be locking up tonight."

Juvia scoffed, raising her eyebrows but not looking away from the shelf and she pulled off the books. "You're really going to trust me to lock up your precious family book store? Really? Even I know that's stupid."

"Shut up. I'm trusting you here. It's half five now, we close at eight s-"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Juvia suddenly exclaimed, flinging the book in her hand behind her, making it hit the wall before dropping down onto a chair harmlessly. "It's a _book store!_ Who the hell is going to come to a book store at eight o clock at night!?"

Levy sighed heavily, shaking her head. "College kids. Some take night classes and finish around then. They might nip in here before or after class so the time is necessary. But that doesn't matter!" Levy clapped her hands together, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she slowly backed away towards the exit. "Remember: Eight o clock. Finish stacking that shelf before then, remember, start at the bottom and work your way down, and oh-"

She waved her hands at Juvia as she finally took the last book of the shelf that she stacked incorrectly. "You actually did stack that all right, I was just messing with ya'."

She slammed the door shut as Juvia threw an encyclopedia at her.

* * *

Juvia muttered some more crude and offensive words as she pulled the eight foot ladder from the dusty closet and dragged the heavy piece of equipment over to the half empty book shelf. Levy's family book store was very impressive. It looked like a clean, but old fashioned library, the ceilings high to fit in the humongous book shelves. It was paradise to book worms, something Juvia secretly was.

She slammed the tall ladder beside against the heavy book shelf before carelessly climbing up it with an arm full of books. The ladder wobbled but she wasn't all too bothered. She'd more or less lived in this store since her folks died, Levy's parents practically taking her in. She'd messed around on the ladders tons of times and never fell.

She gave a low groan as she looked over to the clock hanging above the counter. Only half pat six. Still a while to go and she had almost finished the shelf anyways so she could just read until closing time.

She balanced her last stack of book on her arms as she made her way up about 5 foot of the ladder for the umpteenth time. She pushed the books in place when the bell above the entrance suddenly chimed, signifying that someone had walked in. The sound after such a long silence make Juvia jump, the motion make her sway on the unsteady ladder.

"Whoa, shi-" She fell as the ladder did, landing on the ground with a thud as the heavy ladder swayed before starting to fall down where she sat. She gasped and covered her face, waiting for impact.

Only it didn't come, she heard somewhat hysterical chuckling and her eyes snapped open to see the most attractive male she had ever seen in her life.

He was blocked the heavy ladder from falling on her with one strong fore-arm, effortlessly letting the ladder balance on the single limb as his other arm clutched his stomach as he tried to contain his laughter. He had some shaggy, dark raven hair that hung dangerously over his eyes but fashionably so, framing his masculine face in the best way. His face was crinkled with humour, own eye closed as the other dark blue orb peaked down on her form.

"Oh my god – I'm sorry I scared you but, oh my _god,_ that was just so – " He erupted in laughter once more. Juvia couldn't help a giggle before composing herself and pouting, looking away grumpily.

"Hey, you shouldn't laugh at the chick you just almost killed!" she exclaimed, the male just chuckled a little before, pushing the ladder to rest on the book case once more before burying his hands in his pockets and looking down on her form, his eyes gleaming.

"Eh, I wouldn't say I almost killed you, clumsy," he drawled. "It was an accident."

Juvia scoffed, placing her palms on the floor on either side of her and leaning back to get a better look at him. "Uh-huh, that's what all murderers would say if they accidentally didn't kill their victim. You ain't fooling me pal," The guy laughed once more, liking this girls' sense of humour and offering her a hand.

"I'm Gray, by the way," he said as her hand wrapped around his and he pulled her to her feet. "In case you want to take ye' murderer to court or anything." Juvia laughed.

"Pfft, _almost-_ murderer. I'll let you off for not letting the ladder crush me."

Gray tilted his head at her, smirking. "Aw, how nice of you." He teased. "I didn't get your name."

"I didn't give it," she held her hand out again. "Juvia." Gray's smirk grew and his large hand engulfed hers, shaking it in greeting.

"Juvia," he repeated with a nod, testing the name on his tongue. Juvia had to suppress a shudder as his low, rumbling voice wrapped her name up almost like a caress. She pulled her hand from his as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before folding her arms.

"Anyways," she began. "What are you doing in a bookstore at this time?"

Gray shrugged as he followed her over to the counter. She made her way behind it and sat down, he sat opposite her, leaning forwards.

"I take my classes at night," he informed her. "So, when they give us assignments and stuff I tend to just try and get the material straight after class, you know, before I forget."

Juvia nodded, leaning back in her chair. "I guess. Where do you study?"

"Fairy Tail UN," Juvia smirked.

"Me too," she told him, Gray arched a brow.

"Oh yeah? I haven't seen you around." Juvia shook her head before he had eve finished talking.

"Nah, I only just enrolled. I went to Phantom for a while but moved to Fairy Tail with my cousin when shit got bad. But I like it much better there." Gray smiled cheekily.

"Aw, the klutz likes Fairy Tail, ey?" he teased, Juvia's gasped in false-offense.

"Whose fault is it I fell of the ladder?!" She exclaimed, Gray waved a hand in dismissal, leaning back in his chair.

"Eh, you would've fell down anyways, I didn't make you clumsy, you just, evidently, are," Juvia shook her head, a smile spreading over her face.

"I'd rather be a klutz than a stripper," she sighed, leaning back in her chair. She had the pleasure of watching shock take his expression as he look around for his shirt and jacket.

"Shit! When did that happen?"

Meanwhile, Juvia had to suppress a swoon at his very well kept torso. His stomach was lean and toned. His arms were tight with muscles that rippled as his pulled his shirt and jacket up from the floor. Juvia swallowed thickly, composing her expression as he sat back down, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Sorry about that," he rumbled. "Habit of mine,"

Juvia turned her head. "A rather unique habit. Juvia's never seen anything like it."

Gray frowned, tilting his head at her. "Did you just refer to yourself in third person?" he asked uncertainly, Juvia's eyes widened as she pressed a hand over her mouth.

"Aw, shit, did I?" she whined, hanging her head back. Gray laughed.

"Yeah, what was that about?"

Juvia look back towards his with a disgruntled expression, a pout on her lips. "It's a habit I picked up as a kid. Juv – _I_ got out of it in high school but sometimes Juvia has some slip ups- Dammit!"

Gray laughed again, leaning forward to rest on elbows on the counter. "Aw, that's adorable."

Juvia had to ignore the flip in her stomach. "No, it's not. I got a lot of shit for it in high school."

Gray frowned, drawing a hand forward to place it over hers, his didn't miss the breath hitching in Juvia's throat and had to suppress a smirk.

"That's pretty shitty," he grumbled. "But, you don't have to worry about that around me. I think it's pretty cute."

Juvia narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. Was he serious? "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he chuckled before leaning back in his chair. Juvia shook her head.

"Eh, doesn't matter. I probably wont see you around much anyways," she teased, Gray just frowned before standing, tugging on his jacket.

"What are you talking about, we're going out tomorrow night." Juvia recoiled at his words, her stomach tightening once more as she look up at the male.

"…Wha - "

"Yup," he said as he zipped his jacket up, burying his hands in his pockets. "Didn't I mention that?"

"Hmph," she tilted her head at him. "And where will we be going, may I ask?"

Gray pulled a book from a near by shelf that looked like something to do with advanced math. He threw a couple of bills on the counter before tucking the book under his arm.

"Dinner," was all he said as he made his way over to the door.

"Do I not get a say in this matter?" Juvia called as he pulled the door open.

"Nope," he shouted back without turning, slamming the door shut behind him.

Juvia finally released her squeal before picking up the bills and putting them in the till, noticing a piece of paper amongst the bill with a phone number scribbled on it with a little message.

* * *

 _"I'll pick you up here at seven, Klutz. Be ready._

 _-G"_

* * *

Juvia squealed as she clutched the note to her chest, reminding herself to thank Levy for the night shift tomorrow.


	3. NaLu - Pain

"Eh, wasn't that bad of a job, I guess," Natsu said as he sat beside Lucy at the train station, rambling somewhat to try and block out the ever impending doom of the train that would be arriving soon, one of which he had to get on. He cast her a look through the corner of his eye. She sat up straight, a little hunched but she was probably just tired from the job, he figured. He sighed before looking forwards once more.

"I don't see why we can't walk," he grumbled, he heard Lucy sigh before she looked over to him.

"When have I ever agreed to walk when we could just catch the train and be back a Magnolia in under an hour?" she asked. Her voice, usually firm and fiery, was quieter and a little breathless. Natsu noticed this vaguely but again blamed it on her likely fatigue.

"When have I ever neglected to ask anyway?" he groaned, though a smile played at his lips. Lucy was pretty cool, he did enjoy teasing her whenever they went on missions.

"What's wrong with you Lucy," Happy asked, flying above their heads before landing on Lucy's knee, tilting his head up at her. "You seem pretty down."

Lucy just laughed breathlessly and shook her head. "Just a little tired out from the job, is all."

"You did fight pretty hard," Natsu observed. "One got pretty close, could hardly believe it when you fought him off."

"Yeah, Erza's been trying to teach me some self-defence moves in case they ever attacked me head on," she told them, quite proudly. "Still not quite there yet, though."

"You kidding?" Happy asked, flying up to her face excitedly. "You really got 'um! I'm surprised, thought you were completely useless." Lucy rolled her eyes but smiled at him regardless. At that moment, the rumbling of a train began to sound and Natsu groaned.

"God Natsu, here," Lucy fished in her pocket for a second before handing Natsu a small flask. He looked down at the bottle before back up at her incredulously.

"You trying to get me drunk? 'Cause I'll probably just throw up more."

Lucy rolled her eyes again before taking it back and unscrewing the lid. "It's a charm thing Wendy gave me before we left. I forgot all about it on the way here – " she ignored Natsu's spluttering and continued. "But anyways, it's another type of motion sickness medicine, different from the other charm she used to use on you so this one should be effective. You need to take it before we get on the train, though. So drink up."

Natsu nodded before taking the small flash back, throwing the medicine back and jumping up to his feet just as the train slowed to a stop before them. He threw his bag over his shoulder before looking back to Lucy, noticing she haden't even stood yet.

"C'mon, let's get going," he said, gesturing at the open doors of the train. "What ye' waiting for?"

Lucy started shuffling in the bag at her side. "One sec, just making sure I've got everything. You and Happy go and find us a good cabin, I'll catch up. Quick, before they're all taken up!"

Natsu nodded and made his way on the train, Happy cast a suspicious glance at Lucy but followed Natsu regardless.

When they were both out of sight, Lucy pulled away from the bag and leant back into her seat, releasing a long, painful breath.

"Oh, jeez," she muttered before finally pulling her bag strap over her shoulder, and making a move to stand up. She did so with difficulty. She managed a few stumbles before coming to the door of the train and straightening her back and taking a deep breath before sauntering onto the train as if it were no trouble.

"In here, Luce!" Natsu's voice called out as he popped his head out of their cabin, Lucy smiled at him and made her way over, her eyes on her feet as she did. She closed the door behind them as Natsu took a seat beside the window, she made her way to one opposite. Her brow twitched slightly as she anticipated sitting down but did so stiffly, releasing an unintentional sigh as she leant back into the seat.

"You okay, Luce?" Natsu asked, turning his head slightly. Lucy looked up sharply.

"Yeah, yeah of course!" she said quickly, tilting her head at him as if he was being silly. "Just a little sore from the job, really. I hardly ever do some fighting myself!" Natsu let it drop and smiled. The train groaned before stuttering to a start and beginning their journey home. Natsu visibly tensed as it did so, cringing as he awaited to usual waves of sickness to wash over him but none came. He opened one eye, seeing the scenery pass the window with impossible speed before he sat up straight and laughed happily.

"Ay, look at that, it worked!" he yelled. Lucy smiled happily at him, leaning back in her seat while Natsu started to speak excitedly to Happy about the working effects of the medicine.

* * *

Lucy managed almost the entire journey without causing Natsu or Happy any worry. She leant back in her seat with a book in her lap, though an ever present throbbing in her chest made the words on the page hard to concentrate on. Lucy took a deep breath and noticed a wheezing sound that came as she did so. She stiffened slightly, knowing that with Natsu's strong hearing he would pick the worrying sound up. She cleared her throat but that didn't help, only caused a large lace of pain in her chest. She gasped in pain.

That noise made Natsu's head instantly snap in her direction. His brow furrowed instantly as he took in her appearance. He knew that Lucy enjoyed train journeys to be quiet, so she could sit back and enjoy her book so he relied mostly on Happy for conversation.

He haden't noticed how _pale_ she looked. Her skin was almost as white as the scarf around his neck, even tinting a very worrying blue in some places. Her eyes looked irritated, swelling around the bottom and turning blood shot. His ears pricked and he could hear a prominent wheezing sound with her breathing, coming deep in her chest. She hunched over slightly, though as she did she released a pained squeak and a hand flew to her side, pressing over her very padded coat.

"Lucy!" he said in shock, standing up to close the few feet that separated them so he kneeled before her. She seemed to panic at the sudden attention he gave her, she opened her mouth to console him but she just started wheezing even more, unable to even speak.

"Luce, what's wrong? What's the matter?"

She squeezed her eyes shut as she fought for breath, knowing she couldn't hide it anymore. The pain in her chest grew and grew till she couldn't think straight. Her pride went out the window, and all she wanted was for the pain to stop. She pointed to the top of her coat, releasing a small cough as she silently asked Natsu to take it off.

He did so wordlessly, his hands shakily pulled down the zipper and the scent of blood hit him immediately. He released a small sound of pain and disbelief as his eyes scanned the state of her pale green top. The right side was coated with blood, obviously seeping through the shirt this entire time. Her coat has successfully his the damage, and her top has absorbed the blood so none fell onto the floor. Some has seemed into her pants, but they were black so he never even noticed.

"Lucy," his whispered, his voice cracking. Lucy's heart near enough shattered, he sounded so heart broken. She closed her eyes again and shook her head. Natsu's hand went to the hem of her top, on the side the damage obviously was. He pulled it up and gasped in horror as he revealed a gash, no doubt for the knife the bandits used, on her side. He looked back up to her face, ready to ask why she didn't say anything but her eyes were drooping shut.

"Wha - No, no! No, Lucy, stay awake, okay? I'm going to get you help." He said desperately.

He looked out the window to see the train was slowing as they neared Magnolia. He leant back and threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder before looking to Happy.

"Get Lucy's bag," he said sternly, forcing his voice not to waver. "Get to the guild and find Wendy. She needs to be ready by the time I get there."

Happy nodded without and word, though his eyes betrayed his absolute fear. Natsu knew why. Things weren't looking good for Lucy.

"She's going to be fine, Happy," Natsu said firmly, more to himself. "I won't let anything happen to her. She ain't going anywhere, I'm telling you now. She's going to be fine."

He mumbled this to himself as he turned around and carefully picked her up, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, the other cradling her under the knees. He effortlessly made his way to the door with her in his arms before the train had even stopped and more or less flew out the moment the doors opened.

* * *

Natsu paced outside of the guilds small infirmary. He had rushed Lucy inside and Wendy was already ready, she ushered them into the infirmary, through all of their worried guild mates and made him set her down on the bed before ushering him out also. He fought her but she snapped at him, saying their friend's life was at stake. Gray and Gajeel had to drag him away.

No one asked him what had happened. He was freaking out too much for anyone to dare approach him. He was just so _furious._ At the bandits, at Lucy, at himself. He was angry at the bandits because they were the ones who had hurt her. He was angry at Lucy for hiding the fact that she was injured from him. The thought of it made him growl out loud.

 _Why_ would she hide that? Was she some kind of masochist? Was she _trying_ to scare him to death? Nothing he could think of justified her putting her life at risk like this.

And finally, he was angry at himself for not noticing regardless.

The door creaking open dragged him from his thoughts. Wendy looked exhausted. Any other day he might have tried to lay off her, give her some space, tell her to relax and update him in the morning.

But not today.

"So?" he asked, making his way over to her quickly, his eyes intense. "How is she? Is she okay?"

Wendy gave him a wry but sad smile. "She'll be okay. She's asleep right now but she should wake up soon. I've healed one of her injuries. The other will have to wait till tomorrow, but I've patched it up."

He breathed a sigh. "Wow, that's grea- Wait, one of her injuries? What else was wrong with her except the wound on her side?"

Wendy narrowed her eyes. "It was very, _very_ close. It wasn't the wound on her side that almost killed her. That was just a flesh wound, it wasn't too deep and the blood on her shirt was as much as it bled. It wouldn't have killed her."

Natsu narrowed his eyes, turning his head to the side as he asked her quietly. "Then what almost did?"

Wendy sighed again, swallowing thickly as her eyes welled up with tears. "She has a punctured lung. And it was very severe. That why she was wheezing, why she was turning blue and why her eyes were swelling up. Some impact must have hit her on the job exactly the wrong way to cause damage like that to her lung! She was so, _so_ close to not making it Natsu. So close."

Natsu's chest tightened painfully at being told how close he was to losing Lucy. It hurt to even comprehend. He squeezed his eyes shit and shook his head in denial.

"Why didn't she tell you?" she asked. "You said you only noticed by the end of the journey, why didn't she say anything? She must have been in so much pain – "

"Don't." Natsu interrupted sternly, his voice cold. "Just don't."

Wendy looked at him in surprise. His bangs were shielding his eyes so she couldn't get a reading on his expression, but it didn't look too great. She just nodded her head at him and made her way from the room, stopping when she got behind him.

"You can go in." she told him quietly. "Her side will still be sore but I've healed her lung so she's going to be fine. But if I were you," she turned to eye him from the corner of her eye sternly. "I'd give her a good telling off. She can't pull something like this again, Natsu. It almost killed her."

Natsu didn't respond but Wendy knew he heard her from the way he clenched his fists. She walked away and Natsu gritted his teeth as his hand went to Lucy's door handle.

"Yeah," he muttered darkly. "Like I need someone to tell me."

* * *

Lucy felt disorientated.

It felt like she was lying on a bed. Not her bed because she didn't like the crispiness of the sheets, her covers were nice and soft. She couldn't open her eyes to inspect her surroundings since her eyelids wouldn't respond to her brains commands.

She heard a low, groaning like sound. It took her a second to realise it came from her. She found her mouth. She licked her dry lips and released another slight groan of discomfort. She heard some shuffling and pressure on her forehead. She relaxed at the feeling and a finger ran over her eyelid. That's where they were.

She blinked open her eyes groggily to see white. The picture finally focused and then she could see pink. She blinked a couple of times before she could make sense of what she saw before her.

It was Natsu. Her stomach flipped at his face, the face she adored so much. She was about to smile, her lips started to turn up but then memories came rushing back and she finally took notice of the angry, maybe even furious expression on Natsu's face.

The smile dropped from her face. Her eyes fell so that she was looking at the lumps of her feet under the white sheets. She knew where this was going.

"Lucy," Natsu rumbled, his voice low. It sent shivers down Lucy's spine. "Are you stupid?"

She wasn't even offended. She sighed, noting how it didn't hurt her to do so, (She'd have to thank Wendy later) and ran a hand through her hair.

"Natsu," she began. "Listen – "

"No," Natsu snarled. Lucy looked up in surprise. Only then did she really take into account how furious Natsu really was. His eyes, usually so wide and child-like, were narrowed into slits as he looked down on her. His hands were clenched into fists at his side and he glared down at her form and she felt a lace of guilt flash through her chest. He continued in that cold voice. "You listen. Do you have _any_ idea how close you were to dying?"

Lucy's eyes widened. "B-but...No. No, it was only a flesh wound – "

"That wasn't the only thing wrong with you, Lucy!" he snapped. "You had a very, _very_ severe punctured lung. You were turning blue, your eyes were turning bloodshot, even bleeding at some point, you were wheezing – "

"The pain in my chest…" she said in realisation, her hand going up to press to her throat. Natsu narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"Yeah." He said in a chipped tone. "Yeah. The pain in your chest. Something you neglected to tell me about."

Lucy closed her eyes. "Natsu – "

" _Don't,_ 'Natsu' me!" he almost shouted, throwing his hands up in outrage as he paced at the end of her bed. He stopped to round on her. "Lucy, why on earth wouldn't you tell me you were hurt?! What the fuck can _justify_ you putting your life in jeopardy like this?!"

Lucy just shook her head, closing her eyes, adding the Natsu's frustration. "What, Lucy?! What the fuck was it that made you think it was in anyway okay to pull shit like this?!" He sneered, making her way to the side of her bed. Lucy's eyes snapped open to glare at him.

"You wanna know why?!" She near enough shouted right back at him, Natsu's eyes flashed with rage.

"Yes!" he roared in response.

"Because Natsu, I am _sick_ of being called weak!" she sat right up, her face inches from his face as she spat the words at him.

Natsu did recoil slightly, not having expected this reason. He frowned at her. "What?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes and shook her head, turning away. "Don't act like you don't know, Natsu." She muttered bitterly. "You hear what people say as much as I do. How our team would be stronger if I wasn't on it. How I drag you all down. Because not only am I the weakest in the strongest team in Fairy Tail, but I'm the weakest in the entire guild."

Natsu's eyes softened immediately. "Lucy," he said softly, drawing a hand up to rest over hers. "You know that's not true."

"Of course I know it's not true!" she sneered, pulling her hand out from under his as her furious eyes met his soft ones. "I am not weak." She said strongly. "Just because I don't do as much hand to hand combat as the other guild members, does it mean I use any less magic energy! Hell, I use more magic energy them a one team put together! They just don't get it! They make all these stupid assumptions that I'm weak and I just had to prove that – "

"Lucy," Natsu interrupted, cupping her face in his hands and leaning in close to her. Her eyes widened as he did so but his eye's never wavered, they remained stern on her.

"You are not weak." He said slowly. "I know that. Gray knows that. Erza knows that. The old man knows and so does everyone that _needs_ to know. Don't go worrying about what irrelevant people think. The people you need to worry about knowing your true strengths is the people's lives that will sometimes inevitably depend on you. And who are those people?"

Lucy hesitated but smiled slowly. "Our team." she whispered.

"Our team." Natsu repeated. "And one day, maybe the people who doubt your power will depend on it one day, and then they'll see what you're really capable of. But until then, you have nothing to prove. Nothing that stupid is worth putting your life on the line for."

Lucy nodded, timidly resting her forehead on Natsu's. "I'm sorry. I promise it will never happen again."

Natsu released a long breath. Lucy's eyes almost shot open when she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist, putting her into a lean, warm chest. Was this really the same, immature Natsu from yesterday? The Natsu who was oblivious to any romantic advance she may have ever made on him?

"…You have no idea how much you scared me, Lucy," he said, his voice suddenly very small. His arms tightened around her. "I really thought I'd lost 'ye."

Lucy released a sad laugh and leant away so that her eyes could meet his, she drew her hands up t cup his face, his eyes never left hers as she did.

"I know," she whispered, and he could feel her breath on his lips. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He closed his eyes for a moment, overlapping one of the hands resting on his cheek with his and leaning into her touch. He opened his eyes again to see her watching him through eyes almost full of awe. Without really thinking about what he was doing, his eyes flickered down to her lips before back up to her face, and he leant in.

He pressed his hot lips to her warm ones very softly. He felt her stiffen before relaxing into him and parting his lips against his. The sensation was unbelievable. He slowly started to move his lips with her own, their lips slanting together perfectly in sync before he pulled away to look at her face.

Her eyes were still closed, she opened them slowly to look up at him hazily before a slow smile spread over her face. His own lips curled into a smile as he leant forwards to kiss her once more, his hands trailed down to grasp her waist before wrapping his arms around them, she trailed her hands through his hair to cup the back of his neck as his lips pressed so deliciously against her own. Their lips danced together a few moments longer before Natsu finally pulled away, pressing his forehead to her own and his breathed heavily.

"Now it's certain," he breathed and Lucy looked up questionably. He smirked crookedly at her. "If you ever pull shit like you did today again I will be extra pissed off."

Lucy chuckled and nuzzled into his neck, sighing happily. "I don't doubt that."


	4. NaLu - 7 Minutes in Heaven

_**Story Line:**_ _Lucy and some of her guild mates all have a sleepover at her apartment against her will. They play some drinking games before Cana suggests they play a game of Seven minutes in heaven. Lucy, being the hostess, is bullied into playing first. Who will Lucy choose?_

* * *

Lucy grumbles lowly as she leans on her bedroom door frame, eyeing the group of people who had taken up residence there. It was seven PM and Natsu, Gray, Cana, Gajeel, Happy, Levy and Erza had all just appeared at her front door claiming they're having a sleep over. Lucy gave a sigh as she shook her head at her friends. Cana, whom brought a big backpack that Lucy was eyeing warily, stood and pulled it open, pulling out numerous bottles of alcohol before casting Lucy a wicked look.

"You wouldn't happen to have any shot glasses, would ya Lucy?" she asked, tilting her head at the blonde. Lucy felt her heart skip a beat and shook her head.

"Uh – No, no. Sorry."

Cana grinned before pulling some out of the bag. "That's alright, I got you covered." Lucy sighed heavily and shook her head once more.

"Alright everyone," Cana called, sitting down on the floor and pouring out the shots. "Sit in a circle on the floor, we're playing a game."

"What kind of game?" Gray asked as he sat down and Cana smirked.

"A drinking game," she said as she finished pouring the shots. "Now, has anyone here ever played _Never have I ever?"_

The group remained silent and Cana sighed before taking a shot and refilling her small glass. "Alright. I'd start by saying something I've never done. So I'd say… Never have I ever… Oh." She paused, tilting her head to the side. "Eh, not a lot of things I haven't done…" Cana hummed to herself, tilting her head. Lucy cleared her throat and she looked up.

"Oh right, so yeah. If I said something like, never have I ever almost died or something, the people in this room who have almost died would have to take their shot and pour themselves another for the next round."

Natsu frowned. "Depressing example, but it seems simple enough. I'm in."

Everyone else agreed and Cana grinned, turning to Levy who sat beside her. "Alright. I already kind of had my turn. You go."

Levy's face grew red. "Umm, ah – Okay, never have I ever had sex."

There was a series of "Ooooo"'s and Cana, Gray and even Erza took their shot. The group was speechless before Lucy banged her fist on the floor.

"Okay – Explain!"

Gray rubbed the back of his neck before throwing a wary glance at Cana who just made a kissy face at him. Everyone gasped.

"Wait… No. No way. You and _Cana?!"_ Natsu spluttered and Gray sighed, dropping his hand.

"Only once," he assured them. "And it was both of our first times. I've never done it with anyone else though."

Levy turned to looked at Cana. "Have you?" Cana just shook her head with a lazy shrug, pouring out the shots once more.

"How?" Lucy asked. Gray sighed again.

"It was last year. Me and Cana share the same birthday and when we both turned sixteen she said we should celebrate. We drank in the guild near enough the entire day and she came home with me and... One thing led to another and – uh,"

"He's good in the sack, let's put it that way," Cana slurred before clapping her hands together and ignoring the splutters and gasps around her. "Alright, Erza! You drank too! Spill!"

Erza sighed lightly before folding her hands over her lap, looking down. "It's not much of a story. You all know I've been seeing Jellal, before and after he was pardoned for his crimes and about six months ago we decided it was time to take that step in the relationship. Nothing scandalous."

The group just hummed lightly, and the girls patted her arm with cheeky grins and even got a little blush out of her.

"Alright, next person! Go!"

* * *

This went on until nine PM and everyone was at least lightly buzzed. They had drank all the drinks and were just lounging lazily around Lucy's room in their pyjamas as they thought up another game.

"Oh, I know!" Cana shouted, sitting up and making everyone groan. "No, no, it's a good one this time I swear!"

"Alright, what is it?" Gajeel groaned, his arm wrapped snugly around Levy would was curled up to his side, her eyes drooping due to intoxication.

"We can all play seven minutes in heaven!"

The group groaned but didn't argue as Cana started running around the room before she stopped in front of Lucy.

"Luce! Do you have like a… A hat, or something?"

"Uh, yeah…" Lucy said, nudging the sleepy Happy off of her lap as she made her way to her walk in closet, pulling it open with Cana behind her.

"Oh, yes, this will be so perfect," Cana cackled, Lucy shot her a look.

"We'll be playing it with everyone else outside the closet? Isn't that a little weird?" she asked dryly and Cana shook her head.

"Nah, the rest will step into the living area or the kitchen to time it. They will get complete privacy so hopefully something juicy will happen!"

"Ugh, Cana!" Lucy groaned before pulling out her hat that she kept for winter, Cana grinned before snatching it off her and making her way into the middle of the room.

"Alright everyone," she called, holding out the hat. "Everyone put something small into the cat. I don't care if it's jewellery, hair pieces, whatever but it has to be something different for everyone, okay? Go, go, go!"

Everyone did as they were told, going into their pockets, pulling something from their hair or removing jewellery. Lucy began to pull off her ring but Cana halted her action.

"Ah, ah, ah!" she said, holding the now full hat out to Lucy. "No need. Since you're the hostess, it's only fair that you get to go first." She grinned evilly and Lucy gulped.

"F-fine!" she said and the group "Oooo"ed as she put her hand into the hat to feel around it's contents. Her hand finally wrapped around something cold and hard and she pulled it out and opened her hand to reveal what looked like a house key.

"Whose is this?" she asked when a hand took it from her and put it in their pocket. She looked up to come face-to-face with none other than Natsu Dragneel.

"Looks like ya picked me, Luce," he drawled, tilting his head cheekily at her. The group shot each other smug looks as they all made their way from the room, Cana pushed the two into the closet.

"Seven minutes starting from when I start the timer, so maybe a bit longer, so you guys better get to it!" she told them and winked before closing the closet door. The closet was spacious enough though Lucy's arm was pressed against Natsu's chest so she shuffled away to give him room, muttering her apology.

But that was until he pulled her back.

"N-Natsu?" she whispered as she was pressed to the warmness of his chest, she heard a chuckle rumble deep in his chest and felt her stomach flip.

"It's a part of the game, right?" he rumbled, lowering his head so his eyes met her, she could make out his cocky smirk in the dim light. "Gotta do what the game implies, huh?"

Lucy saw right through his plot and smirked right back, tilting her head as she hummed. He grinned. "Hmm, I don't know," she said, arching a brow. "I like my men to be much more… _hotter_ than you, I guess."

Natsu's eyes gleamed like a cats before they narrowed. He suddenly pushed her back to press her firmly to the wall, grasping her small wrists in his large hands and planting them on either side of her head. The breath was knocked out of Lucy as she felt his lips by her ear, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

"Aw, c'mon Luce," he drawled, his hot breath hitting her ear and making her gasp. "We both know that there's no one hotter than me. Admit it."

"No," she said simply, though the firmness in his voice died away as she felt his hands trail down her sides to clutch her waist and his lips press against her neck.

"Lucy…" he said lightly, trailing his lips over a tender spot of her neck, making her gasp. She felt him grin against her skin as he hovered over that spot. "Say it. Say I'm hot."

"Never," she gasped and Natsu chuckled lightly before shaking his head.

"Shouldn't have said that." Was all he said before he attacked the most sensitive spot of her neck.

Lucy sighed breathlessly and drew her hands up to cup the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair as he nipped and sucked just the right part of her neck. He hummed lightly as her fingers swept through his hair, moving his head up with the motion so his eyes met hers once more.

"Say it," he whispered, his lips grazing hers but she knew he wouldn't close the gap until she did as she was told. "Say I'm hot."

"Okay, I admit it," she said in defeat, though her eyes remained on his lips. "You're hot."

"That's all you had to say," and then his lips were on hers.

He pushed her up more firmly to the wall, a hand drawing up from her waist to cup her cheek and tilt her head up so his lips met hers more firmly. He nipped and sucked at her lips, as he pulled away she didn't hesitate to drag his bottom lip through her teeth. He growled at that and near enough slammed her back into the wall making her mewl in delight. He hummed lowly as her tongue grazed his, tilting his head to deepen this kiss and slant his lips more firmly to hers.

He parted from her to trail kisses all over his cheek, then jaw before his lips finally met her neck again, to which she sighed happily at before pulling his head back up so his dark eyes met her own.

"W–what does this mean?" she panted, running her fingers through the sides of his hair to cup the back of his neck. He just swallowed thickly before grasping her waist once more and pressing his forehead to hers and closing his eyes.

"It means I'm all yours now," he whispered, not opening his eyes. "And you're all mine."

A slow smile spread against Lucy's face as she closed the gap between them to kiss his lips softly, not as rough and eager as before. Natsu returned it just as gently, slowly moving his lips with hers before pulling away and taking a few steps back.

"They're coming to get us," he whispered before winking at her. Lucy just giggled as she doors swung open, revealing their friends.

"Well, you guys had a nice time, eh?" Gajeel rumbled with a smirk, since he had obviously heard them and that made Lucy blush furiously. Natsu just grinned before pulling Lucy back towards him by her waist, casting a look to Cana.

"Thanks for suggesting this game, Cana," he said, pressing a kiss to Lucy's hair. "Saved me some time."


	5. NaLu - Welcome

_**Story Line:**_ _Lucy is new to Magnolia and winds up wandering into a 24 hour coffee shop at one in the morning. The grumpy yet eccentric Natsu Dragneel happened to be the person working behind the counter that night._

* * *

Lucy's eyes snapped open as the train slowed to a halt, suggesting she was at her destination. She had been on that damned train for God knows how long. She hummed sleepily as she stood and grabbed her luggage from her side and made her way off the train before it drove off once again.

Lucy Heartfilia covered her mouth as she yawned, her eyes casting down to the complicated map in her hands. She gave another lazy hum before picking her single suitcase off of the ground once more to make her way from the train station and in the direction of her apartment building to-be.

She gave a hasty glance to her watch and her eyebrows shot up, no wonder she was so tired. It was 1:27 am in the morning but Lucy wasn't all that worried about making it to her apartment building. She had told her landlord before coming that she would be arriving at an ungodly hour and the overly eccentric landlord informed her she would be waking up at three to feed her baby anyways, so there was no trouble.

Lucy gave another anxious glace at her watch. She didn't want to go to her apartment and wake up the landlord before she needed to get up, and she'd probably wake their baby also. She resolved to wait till three before she made her way to her apartment building.

She gave an anxious hum as she eyed the very inactive streets of Magnolia. There wasn't really many places she could go to wait at this time, nor was there much light for her to just sit down and read to pass the time. Her spirits brightened as her chocolate brown eyes landed on what seemed to be a coffee shop, though what caught her attention was the bright, 24 hours open sign in the window.

Lucy hastily made her way towards the store, swinging the door open to hear a light ding of the bell above it. It was empty, she couldn't even see anyone behind the counter. The lights were on and there seemed to be a half-eaten sandwich on the counter, though Lucy couldn't see anyone behind it.

She frowned as she pulled off her gloves, opening her mouth to call out before she heard a voice rumbling behind the counter and through to the kitchen.

"Happy, c'mon, I'll get ya fish in a damn second, but I heard the- Hey!"

She heard some pans falling, light cursing and a cat meowing and she had to cover her mouth as she giggled lightly, sitting down on the stool in front of the counter, shaking her head lightly.

"Ugh, cat I swear to God, if you don't fuckin- Oi!" There was a loud meow and another pan falling before the man emerged with fond scowl on his face. He was muttering lowly before he lifted his gaze to meet Lucy's eyes. He stared at her for a second before snapping out of it, shaking his head lightly before stabbing a thumb over his shoulder towards the kitchen.

"Sorry about that. I bring my cat on the night shifts and he's being a little get."

Lucy couldn't help but widen her eyes slightly at the man before her. He was tall, at least half a foot taller than herself. He had a mass of gravity defying, light pink hair that stuck up in all direction but fashionably so. His eyes were so dark they could pass for black, though Lucy could detect a hint of green. His voice was husky, with an intriguing accent she couldn't place. He was very well kept, his very muscly arm exposed due to his vest and apron, though a white, scaly looking scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck. He was without a doubt one of the most attractive people Lucy had ever seen.

She shook her head lightly before replying, her voice higher than usual. "Oh, no! No, it's fine. I'm not in any hurry or anything, I just have some time to kill."

The male raised an eyebrow, his expression amused? "You have time to kill at-" he glanced down at her watch before looking back up at her. "-half one in the morning?"

Lucy looked away in embarrassment. "It's a long story. But I just moved here and my new landlord has to be up for three anyways, so I'm just gonna wait till then instead of waking her unnecessarily."

The male chuckled lightly before picking up a glass and a rag, drying it. "Alright. You want anything, anyways? If yer' up till three, may as well have a coffee for the time being."

Lucy hummed before nodding at him with a smile, pulling her purse out. The man shook her head, leaning over the counter to push her hand away.

"Don't worry about it," he said as he pulled his hand away to make the coffee, though Lucy found she missed the warmth of his hand. "Think of it as a welcome to Magnolia coffee and one in the morning, eh?"

Lucy giggled before nodding. "Thank you, um…" He grinned before pointing at the name tag Lucy had missed.

"Nastu. Natsu Dragneel." He told her, leaning over the counter to shake her hand. She smiled before wrapping her small hand around his, a light blush painting her cheeks.

"Lucy Heartfilia. Night to meet you, Natsu."

He chuckled again before pulling his hand away. "Nice to meet'cha, too." He shuffled around as he made the drink before placing it before her, arching a brow as he did so. "Sugar?"

Lucy nodded. "Please," he gave her the pallets before sitting down before her, picking up his sandwich.

"So," he began, his mouth full. "You said you just moved here?"

Lucy nodded after taking a tentative sip of her coffee. It was good. "Mhm. I'm excited, I've never left home before her so this is the first spontaneous thing I've ever done." Natsu raised his brows.

"Oh yeah? That's cool, what drove you out?" Lucy huffed, folding her arms over the counter to lean forwards a little.

"My Dad. He isn't the nicest man in the world and he's kind of just getting worse. Had to get out while I still could."

Natsu gave a small, sad smile before leaning forward also. "Ye' might regret that one day, Lucy."

Lucy ignored the flutter in her stomach as he said her name and frowned, tilting her head. "What do you mean?"

Natsu sighed, leaning back in his chair and running a hand through his hair. "Yer' Dad won't always be around. You shouldn't take that he still is for granted. Personally, I think it's great you're getting away from your home town and all that, being more independent. But I suggest you don't completely cut ye' Dad out of your life. He won't be around forever."

Lucy drank in each one of his words like the coffee in her hands, and they warmed her up just as much. She smiled softly, looking down and nodding gently. She heard a slow chuckle before Natsu trailed a finger under her chin, tilting her head up so her eyes met his dark pools once more.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. But you're luckier than you know."

She nodded before frowning lightly. "You know from experience?" She asked reluctantly, thinking he'd recoil at her boldness. Instead he smiled, trailing his hand from her chin to tug gently on a strand of her hair as his brow furrowed, seemingly looking for words.

"Yah," he said quietly. "My old man died when I was a kid and I guess I've never really, fully recovered. But ya never do, you know? So it's cool, I've made my peace with it. But there's things I wish I'd have said to him and all that, guess I don't want people to make that same mistake if I can help it."

Lucy smiled again, pulling his hand from her hair to lace her fingers with his, resting their hands on the counter. "I understand. My Mum died when I was young too. I guess we're kind of the same, huh?"

Natsu smirked, squeezing her hand lightly before leaning away. "I guess we are," he drawled. Lucy laughed lightly at his tone before releasing a small squeak as something rubbed against her foot. She looked down to see a shocking, small blue cat purring against her boot. She gave a small giggle before bending down to pick up the small feline, resting it on her lap.

"Is this your cat?" she asked sarcastically and Natsu laughed heartily.

"Yah, that's Happy," he told her, his eyes near enough shining as he eyed the purring cat dozing on her knee. "Seem he likes ye'. He never takes to anyone like that but me, you're lucky."

Lucy hummed in response, rubbing the small animal behind the ears. The hour passed quickly and they chatted about anything and everything. Lucy felt a growing attraction to the man she had just met yet she did her best to hide it. Seemed he was very childish sometimes, and he was part of a big group of friends, he had an arch nemesis whom her referred to as the 'Ice Princess' and he works here part time to page for college. Unaware to her, Natsu felt surprisingly strongly for the woman. She was fun to tease and she liked his cat. What more could he ask for? As it rounded to five past three Lucy stood to pick up her case and head to the door.

"Hey, Luce," she turned to see Natsu rounding the counter, a sheepish look on his face as he came to stand before her.

"Mind if I get ya number?" he asked. "I could show you around and stuff, introduce you to my friends. I don't want to be too forward and all that bu – " he was cut off as Lucy released a small, amused laugh and pulled a pen from her purse, scribbling her number on a napkin and turning to Natsu. He smirked cockily as he took the tissue and Lucy laughed again, leaning forward to press a kiss to his cheek before turning on her heels.

"I'll see you 'round, Natsu."

The door swung shut and Natsu released a small chuckle of his own, grasping the tissue in his hand smugly.

"I'll see ya, Luce."


End file.
